Brushing up on bruschetta

It's been quiet in here for a while, too quiet. I really don't have too much of an excuse except that I've not done a whole lot of experimentation with recipes in the last year or so. But I did yesterday, and thought I'd best ease my way back into it with a nice, short, little post.

Heading out last night for a long-neglected dinner night with old friends, I was tagged to provide the evening's entrée course. After a little um'ing and ah'ing, I decided to take along bruschetta as something light, yet hopefully satisfying. I'd only attempted bruschetta once before and, while it had turned out well, I'd not had the foresight to document the recipe, leaving me only my rusty memory to make attempt number two. The result was very tasty, and as such, I thought it best to commit to long-term store before it gets lost again in the ether.

Tomato and Basil Bruschetta
serves 4

Ingredients
4 Roma tomatoes, finely diced
1 Spanish onion, finely diced
1 cup basil, finely chopped
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 loaf wood-fired crusty bread

Method

1. Combine the tomatoes, onion, basil, Parmesan, and garlic in a bowl and toss until well mixed. Drizzle with olive oil and vinegar and stir to combine. Set aside.
2. Cut the bread into 4 slices around half an inch thick and toast either on a grill, griddle pan, or in a sandwich press until lightly browned. Drizzle with a little olive oil and top with bruschetta mix.

I really do find the joy in this meal is how the flavours work together. Tomato and basil always work together, while the onion helps to add a little sharpness. Garlic and Parmesan round out the palate and leave the dish tasting, for want of a better word, meaty.

Spreading the Christmas cheer

It's been quiet on this blog. Too quiet. Reason being, as those who know me will know, is that I've avoided experimenting too much with recipes over the last 6 months while working on dropping some weight. That, plus I've been a little slack. However, Christmas time in my family is always a time of special foods, and that slight over-indulgence. So here's 3 holiday recipes for Christmas gatherings (or any time, really).

Apricot Balls

This recipe I inherited from my mother who, in turn, inherited it from her mother. Apricot balls were my favourite treat growing up, and I just could never get enough of them. Be warned though that you will get messy making these. Mixing with a spoon just doesn't cut it.

Ingredients

makes about 45 balls

200g dried apricots, diced

200 ml sweetened condensed milk

1/4 cup desiccated coconut

1 packet Arnotts Morning Coffee biscuits (or milk arrowroot if you can't find them)

Extra desiccated coconut

Method

1. Process the biscuits into semi-fine crumbs using a food processor. Place in a mixing bowl and add the apricots and desiccated coconut and mix well using your hands.
2. Add the sweetened condensed milk and mix thoroughly. If the mix is a little dry, add 1 tbs of water and knead the mix until it's well bound.
3. Roll teaspoon-sized portions of the mix in your hands to form balls, then roll in the extra coconut to coat.
4. Once all balls have been created, place in the fridge for about an hour to allow them to set. Enjoy!

Rum Balls

This is another recipe which, like the apricot balls, I inherited from my grandmother. It's almost identical to the recipe above with just a few modifications and, in my family, often served alongside the apricot balls.

Ingredients

Makes about 35 balls

200 ml sweetened condensed milk

1/4 cup cocoa

1 packet Arnotts Morning Coffee biscuits

1 tbs dark rum

Desiccated coconut to coat

Method

1. Process the biscuits into semi-fine crumbs using a food processor. Place in a mixing bowl, add the cocoa, and mix well using your hands.
2. Add the sweetened condensed milk and the rum and mix thoroughly. Knead the mix until it's well bound.
3. Roll teaspoon-sized portions of the mix in your hands to form balls, then roll in the coconut to coat.
4. Once all balls have been created, place in the fridge for about an hour to allow them to set.

Home-made Irish Cream

This recipe came from one of my wife's workmates, and went down a treat at the gathering where I was first introduced to it about a week ago.

Ingredients

300 ml cream

200 ml sweetened condensed milk

2 tbs chocolate topping

3 eggs

1/2 tsp coconut essence

1 cup scotch or whiskey

Method

1. Place all ingredients in a bowl or jar and mix on low speed with an electric mixer or barmix until thoroughly combined.
2. Pour into a decanter or other container for serving.

Bringing the heat to winter

This is a post I've been planning on writing for a good couple of months, but have put off usually due to lack of time or surplus of apathy. It's not so much being recorded here so I can remember it (I know it blind folded), but to share with you, the reader, because I think that it is the bee's knees, the duck's nuts, and the cat's pyjamas all rolled into one. So without further ado, I give you...

Slats' Chilli Con Carne
serves 6-8


Ingredients
2 tbs oil
900g beef chuck steak, finely diced
3 large red onions, halved and thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, sliced
2 tbs cumin
1 tbs paprika
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1-2 tsp ground chilli
800g can diced tomatoes
470g can corn
470g can kidney beans
2 cups water
1 tbs red wine vinegar
1 tbs brown sugar
grated cheese to serve

Method

1. Heat 1 tbs of oil in a large saucepan over a med-high heat, and cook the beef in batches for 2-3 minutes until browned all over. Remove from the pan and set aside.
2. Add the remaining oil to the pan and throw in the onion, cooking for 5 minutes or until translucent. Add the garlic and spices and cook for 1 minute until fragrant, then add the water, tomatoes, corn, beans and beef and bring to the boil.
3. Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered for 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until the liquid reduces and thickens. Towards the end of the 2 hour period the mixture may start to stick, add more water if required.
4. Finally, add the vinegar and sugar and stir thoroughly. Serve hot with grated cheese, pickled jalapeno chillies, and crusty bread or flour tortillas.

Notes:

• I've tried making this recipe in a slow cooker and I wasn't really a fan of how it turned out. There was just too much liquid left in the mixture. If you want to try cooking this in a slow cooker, I'd suggest taking the lid off for the final 30-60 minutes to allow some of the liquid to evaporate.
• I've also tried making this recipe using mince instead of diced chuck steak. It was ok, but the chuck steak version is just outstanding and I'll not be tempted to make the mince version again.
• If you really like some extra 'oompf' in your chilli (or is it chili?), you can change the ground chilli for cayenne pepper.

Best of Britain

Health-freaks be warned. The following post contains food likely to cause arterial cramping and excessive saliva generation.

On what has been by far the coldest day of the year here in Canberra, it was a happy coincidence that the meal I had planned to cook was an example of what the British do, oh, so well. Stodge. Getting up this morning, I had an idea of what I wanted to put together tonight, but that was all it was. An idea.

When I was in England last July, I was so very impressed by a simple meal that my grandma cooked up for my two brothers and I, so much so that I made some mental notes of what went into it and vowed to give it a go myself. I've tried it once before, and it was ok, but this time I set out to use that information together with what I could find online to throw together my own creation. The result was, in my own opinion, absolutely sensational. So here you go, my very own...

Bangers & Mash with Apple and Onion Gravy
(serves 4)

Ingredients
8 thick pork sausages
4 large potatoes, suitable for mashing, peeled and diced
1 brown onion, sliced
1-2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and diced
2 tbs butter
1 tbs olive oil
1/2 tbs flour
1 cup dry cider
1-2 tbs Worcestershire sauce
1 tbs HP sauce
malt vinegar, salt, cracked pepper to taste

Method

1. Bring a pot of water to the boil and add the potatoes, cooking for 15-20 minutes until soft. In the mean time, add 1 tablespoon of the butter and the oil to a heavy-bottomed fry pan and heat over a medium heat. Add the sausages and cook for 2-3 minutes each side before turning.
2. Remove the sausages from the pan and place under a grill on low heat to keep warm while you prepare the gravy. Add the onion and apple to the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes until the onion is golden brown and translucent.
3. Add the flour to the pan and stir to soak up all the liquid. Cook for a minute to cook the flour, then stir in the cider and sauces. Add a generous splash of malt vinegar and season to taste with salt and pepper. If the gravy is too thick at this point, you can add a little water to thin it down a little.
4. Drain the potatoes and mash them with the remaining butter and salt and pepper to taste. Spoon the gravy over the sausages and serve with peas or beans.

A couple of notes on the above. 

1. The ingredient amounts are general guesstimates by me, as I just added ingredients until I was happy with the taste. 
2. If you're not a fan of pork sausages, beef works just fine, but thick is definitely better than thin.
3. I found a suggestion for mashed potatoes which involves baking the potatoes rather than boiling them. I think that sounds like it would be fantastic, but didn't have the 90 minutes spare to bake my potatoes.